I'm buying a motorcycle!

[djmcmath]

For years, I've wanted to do this. I have close friends who have been riding since they were young. And finally, a good opportunity has presented itself. A friend of mine inadvertently got his wife interested in riding several years ago, and she's decided to upgrade out of her "starter bike." That leaves one 1980's Honda CM400E for sale from my friend's garage, which means I'm getting in motorcycling!

I'm on eBay looking for riding gear that will offer me enough protection to not get killed out there, and I've just registered for the MSF class at a local HD dealer. The first availability isn't until the end of June -- crazy that it's that full.

Mostly, I'm here to share my excitement, because I know there's a lot of riders here. If some of you happen to share opinions on the hobby, gear that's good or bad, sites that you visit often for motorcycle wisdom, or just plain opinions, I'm interested.

Woohoo!

Dan

[5axis]

Welcome to the club. I'll recomend some reading to get you warmed up.
http://www.amazon.com/Total-Control-Performance-Street-Techniques/dp/0760314039

Lee does a good job of bringing together many concepts that have evolved from the earliest Keith Code to the most current Freddy Spencer stuff, and he has a few fun parking lot drills to work on some essential skills.

[Noah930]

Keep safe. Have a blast.

[Evans, Marv]

Good move. Gasoling around here in SoCal is $3.90 for regular, and diesel fuel at the station where I buy it is $4.50. It's $4.76 at a station a couple of blocks away from there. You'll be able to have fun & run some errands on the cheap.

[Joeaksa]

Take a safety course beforehand and ALWAYS ride with a helmet, gloves and good shoes of some kind.

Get as good a helmet as your head is worth and NEVER a used one.

Ride like you are invisible and ALWAYS ride with your headlight on...

Have fun!

Joe

[djmcmath]

Thanks for the pointers and encouragement. I'm signed up for a safety course in the end of June, which, while not mandatory in MD, saves a lot of licensing hassle. I plan on wearing my AX helmet -- full face, Snell approved, and bright white. For gloves, I probably went a little overboard, but I found a heavily armored set on ebay for $40. Shoes are easy -- I've got my Navy issue steel toe boondockers that will work fine. The friend who's selling me the bike is also giving me a jacket to go with, though it's only abrasion resistant textile. I'm keeping my eyes peeled for a good deal on an armored jacket. I really just need to find good pants.

As far as invisibility, I've been riding my bicycle on the street for a few years, and have become accustomed to predicting other driver's actions as if I wasn't there. One of my riding friends has been warning me about this invisibility thing for years: "When you get on a motorcycle, you don a magic cloak of stealth."

I suppose at first I'll just ride around town. 25mph seemed Really Fast in the parking lot yesterday. I can't imagine 35, or (shudder) 65. I can commute on the back roads at 35 until I get comfortable enough to try freeway speeds.

One of my old friends tells me that gas savings are a nice side benefit of motorcycle riding, but should never be the primary reason. When my family is standing around the closed casket after I've been brutally mauled by a semi truck who never saw me, the last thing I want them to say is, "Well, at least he saved a couple of bucks at the pump." No, I'd rather they say, "He died doing something he loved."

Anyhow, yes, great stuff.

Dan

[Joeaksa]

Dan,

Biggest problem that I have these days are the idiots who turn left in front of you, or who change lanes and do not see you.

Make sure that you make yourself known to cars around. Ride abeam of the driver when one pulls up next to you so that they see you there, and if you see someone who looks like they are turning left in front of you either flash your high beams or slow down.

Also be very careful of riding in the center of ANY lane. This is where the oil is dropped from the cars and is slippery. Ride in the tire tracks of the other cars and if there is a car on your left side, then get in the right side of "your" lane to give you more "wiggle room" if needed.

Do not go overboard with all the clothing. A descent pair of leather gloves and descent jacket along with the boots and helmet is fine. Leather is nice and feels great but is not warm, so look on the used boards for Gore-Tex or the like for fall or wet work. Being wet and on a bike is no fun, and Gore-tex takes care of that lightly. A wet leather jacket is terrible so save that for nice weather rides.

Remember that if you drop a helmet even once, it develops small spyder cracks in it that comprimise YOUR safety, so take care of it. If it gets dropped then get a new one... its your noggin you are protecting! All of the above advise by everyone is worthless without MSF safety training. Get that done before you ride much. It might just save your life.

[williecoyote]

I saw a fellow riding his Harley on Va. Beach Blvd. a few years ago. He had a wooden axe handle bungeed across his handle bars. I don't know if he was returning from the hardware store, or what, but he sure had my attention.

Ride careful!! Assume nothing, and watch out for every one.

[rfuerst911sc]

Every vehicle on the road is your enemy that's the mindset you need to have to stay alive! Assume you are invisible to everyone and ride accordingly. I've toyed with the idea of getting back into riding but with all the crazy drivers here in Florida I've decided I'll stick with Porsches. Stay safe.

[Gogar]

Looks like fun!!! Like this?

[pavulon]

One summer in Sioux Falls, SD, I observed some moron in one of these on his Harley.

[Rot 911]

There's a reason why they call them donor cycles. You are gonna die. Fill out your donor card now. I had a friend of a friend who knew someone who died the first day they rode their motorcycle out of the driveway!

Just wanted to be the first to post these idiotic comments.

[Gogar]

I had a friend who slipped and fell in getting into his bathtub. DEAD. No baths for me, no way.

[nostatic]

Originally Posted by Gogar

I had a friend who slipped and fell in getting into his bathtub. DEAD. No baths for me, no way.

you just want to smell like all the other musicians

http://www.amazon.com/Proficient-Motorcycling-Ultimate-Guide-Riding/dp/1933958359/ref=pd_bbs_sr_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1210524839&sr=1-1

I have been really happy with my Alpinestars AirFlo pants. They easily zip over whatever your wearing.

http://www.kneedraggers.com/details/Alpinestars_AirFlo_Textile_Pants--521-ALP-AFTP.html

Your boots might not be great for riding. Might be too big for the shifter, and you do need some feel. I love my Sidis. I had Triumph textile boots when I crashed and they shredded. I'll stick with my Sidis.

[5axis]

Originally Posted by nostatic

you just want to smell like all the other musicians

http://www.amazon.com/Proficient-Motorcycling-Ultimate-Guide-Riding/dp/1933958359/ref=pd_bbs_sr_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1210524839&sr=1-1

I have been really happy with my Alpinestars AirFlo pants. They easily zip over whatever your wearing.

http://www.kneedraggers.com/details/Alpinestars_AirFlo_Textile_Pants--521-ALP-AFTP.html

Your boots might not be great for riding. Might be too big for the shifter, and you do need some feel. I love my Sidis. I had Triumph textile boots when I crashed and they shredded. I'll stick with my Sidis.

I'll agree with mr static on the boots. I never realised how much of a beating your feet get in a crash until I started crashing my track bikes. My Sidis look well worn (beat and the heel guard is now held on with duct tape) , but my feet and ankles have been fine. I also started to notice in the gory bike crash pix that float around the net, how often the victim is missing his shoes. So I guess there really is something to it.

[williecoyote]

A little bit of reading for you here.
http://domlnator.tripod.com/id14.html

Pavulon, that rig is called a Halo.

I met a man in the hospital who had to wear one. He dived into a swimming pool, and broke his neck. He was experiencing severe headaches from the Halo. The doctor checked it out, and the self tapping bolts had been screwed through his temples. Ouch! They unscrewed the bolts, and then re- screwed them through a more suitable place. Did I say Ouch!

[Shaun @ Tru6]

Some notes from someone who just bought an old CB400 and passed motorcycle training class earlier today.

1. Listen to Nostatic, Noah, Joe, Dueller, Tim, etc. Todd seems to be the king of safety BTW.

2. Take a motorcycle training class. There's so much you'll learn that will save your life it isn't funny.

3. Get good gear that fits.

4. Practice a lot. I've found going out for 30 minutes to an hour, coming back and resting and going out later in the day greatly improves getting comfortable and improving riding skills. One time practice something. Other time just go out and drive.

5. Look out! I consider myself a safe driver and while it's easy to make fun of Boston drivers (they really are bad), you honestly can't imagine how bad they are until you are on a bike. Drivers really don't see you, and even when they do, they may try to run you over. case in point: driving at 6:15AM today to class on a 3 lane road (Storrow Drive), speed limit 35-45 and twisty. I'm the only one on the road. I'm going along in the right side of center lane setting myself up for an S curve, look in my left mirror and it's FILLED WITH WHITE. With no one else on the road and 3 lanes to chose from, a cab was maybe 5-10 feet behind me. WTF?

6. Have fun! Man this is a blast. Like welding, I wish I had started when I was in my 20s. And knowing you have covered your bases above gives you real peace of mind.

7. Enjoy filling up. I've been running around and have to be getting 40MPG in stop and go city driving. Even using 93.

[nostatic]

I'm a crash test dummy (so to speak)...

You can wear whatever you want as long as you don't crash. If (when) you do crash, you will be happy that you have proper gear. The parts of your body that don't have proper gear...will not be happy.

Joe's comments about lane placement are spot-on. Let me add a bit to that. I never run in a blind spot, and if I'm next to a car that could hit me if they changed lanes, I will either speed up or slow down so that I'm either visible to them (in front of them) or have them clearly in my front sights. Sometimes you can't do that due to too much traffic but it is a good habit. As is being in the side of the lane opposite the other bogeys. And yes, every car is a bogey - they are out to get you, usually through inattentiveness.

Avoid the right lane on the freeway. People love to jump multiple lanes to exit the freeway, and when they merge they often don't look. If you need/want to run in the right hand lane, be ready for people exiting and entering.

Any time someone is coming towards me and there is some place for them to turn left (a street intersection, or driveway), I'll cover the front brake (usually put two fingers over it) and ease off just a bit. If they do decide to turn left in front of me, the split second it takes to grab the brake can mean the difference between missing a collision, or the difference between hitting someone at 5mph vs 15mph. Little bits of time make a big difference.

Get a proper motorcycle helmet. You don't need nomex, but you do need vents, light weight, and some aero. I could use my track helmet on the bike but I don't...my Shoei is much more comfortable.

Get comfortable with your brakes, and avoid the rear brake. Modern motorcycles can easily lock up either brake. Your front brake does almost all the stopping. If you lock up the front you can go down, but it will be a low-side and if you release the brake in time you won't fall. If you lock up the rear and keep it locked you probably won't do down, but if you release the brake you very easily could high side (it get thrown over the bars). I have ingrained habits using both brakes and I've been trying to break my rear brake habit. I'll use it but not very much or often.

In most situations, brakes are going to be better than throttle or evasive turning. At least that's what I've read. And the reality is that the slower you're going, the softer you'll hit something. Practice is key.

[nostatic]

and remember, counter steering is your friend...and the only way that you can steer/lean a bike.

[Shaun @ Tru6]

what Todd says about braking is absolutely true on modern bikes. MY old CB400 though, both brakes all the time. Not only have the instructors drilled "both brakes" into our heads every chance they got, but my own testing yields MUCH quicker stops with both brakes applied, heavier pressure on the front.